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"Highlights" items focus on newsworthy events sponsored by the
Department to strengthen the workforce and the business community.
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December 2004
ILAB’s National Administrative Office
Renamed; Request for Comments on Procedural Guidelines Opens
New
Amendment Enacted Under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation
Program |
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November 2004
Tips for Employers
on Safe and Sober Workplace Parties
With the holiday season upon us,
employers may want to consider their approach to workplace celebrations.
DOL's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and
Drug-Free Workplace program addresses steps employers can take to help
prevent impaired driving in their communities and send their employees a
safe and sober
message about workplace parties and drinking.
DOL Annual
Report, Fiscal Year 2004 Performance and Accountability Report
The
theme of this year's report is "Serving the Needs of a Changing 21st Century
Workforce." Here we are reporting for the first time on our new fourth
strategic goal, "A Competitive Workforce." It complements our three other
strategic goals of "A Prepared Workforce," "A Secure Workforce," and "Quality
Workplaces." |
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October 2004
The Labor
Beacon Newsletter Highlights Issues of Interest to Minority
Communities
The Labor Beacon Newsletter is a monthly publication of
the Department of Labor highlighting issues of interest to minority
communities.
VETS Releases USERRA Public Service
Announcement
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act (USERRA) provides reemployment rights following qualifying service
in the uniformed services. USERRA also prohibits employers from discriminating
or retaliating against persons on the basis of their military
service/obligations, intent to join a uniformed service or actions taken to
enforce any person's rights under USERRA. As our nation continues its war on
terrorism, the activation of thousands of National Guard members has made
protecting their employment rights one of the Department of Labor's highest
priorities. This 30-second Public
Service Announcement is directed at private and public employers and
reminds them of their role and legal responsibilities under USERRA in
reemploying Guard and Reserve members coming off of active duty. |
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September 2004
"Hire
Vets First" Campaign Launches October 1
The President’s
National Hire Veterans Committee is pleased to announce that the
www.HireVetsFirst.gov
Web site is now available. The Web site provides information on the Hire Vets
First initiative and directs businesses interested in hiring veterans to
America’s Service Locator (http://www.servicelocator.org/nearest_onestop.asp)
or to 1-877-US2-JOBS to find their closest One-Stop Career Center for services.
The Web site also refers veterans interested in employment opportunities to
their nearest One-Stop Career Center via the same methods.
Labor Department
Posts Draft Regulations for Law that Safeguards Guard and Reserve Members' Jobs
and Benefits
DOL announced that it has published draft regulations
in the Federal Register that interpret the Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Act of 1994 (USERRA). Congress passed USERRA to safeguard the
employment rights and benefits of service members upon their return to civilian
life.
DOL Launches Online elaws Advisor on Revised
Overtime Security Regulations
DOL developed a new Web tool to
help employers and employees learn about the revised overtime exemption rules
that went into effect August 23, 2004. The elaws
FLSA Overtime Security Advisor helps individuals and businesses understand
whether a particular employee is entitled to overtime protection by asking
questions about his or her primary job responsibilities and compensation. Then,
based on the user's responses, the system makes a determination as to whether
or not that employee is likely to be exempt from FLSA's overtime pay
requirements.
Secretary Chao
Receives Community Leadership Award from Thurgood Marshall Scholarship
Fund
The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund honored
Secretary Chao for her support of Historically
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The award was presented during the
organization's 2004 Community Leadership dinner.
DOL Provides Assistance to
Workers Affected by Hurricanes
Information on employment and
support services for workers and safety and health information and resources
for those assisting with disaster cleanup.
Creating
Opportunities for Asian Pacific Americans
As the first American
woman of Asian descent to be in a President's Cabinet, Secretary Chao has
always stated her commitment and strong ties to this community. Under her
leadership, DOL has made significant contributions to the advancement of the
Asian Pacific American (APA) community through its human capital program,
enforcement priorities, compliance assistance efforts and partnership
activities.
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August 2004
New Online elaws Advisor Clarifies Federal
Contractor Coverage and Compliance Requirements
A new elaws Advisor
helps federal contractors and subcontractors understand basic coverage and
compliance requirements for the equal employment opportunity laws administered
by DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance
Programs (OFCCP). To do this, the elaws Federal Contract Compliance Advisor
asks users to answer a series of simple questions and then, based on their
responses, generates a customized list of the OFCCP equal employment
opportunity laws that likely apply to their business and provides links to
relevant compliance assistance materials.
Employers Encouraged to
Recognize Recovery Month in September
September 2004 is the 15th
Annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month celebration, and
businesses are encouraged to participate. This month-long campaign highlights
the significant strides made in substance abuse treatment and educates that
addiction to alcohol and other drugs is a chronic, but treatable, public health
problem that impacts all segments of society, including the workplace. Learn
more about ways
employers can contribute. |
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July 2004
DOL Launches Web Site for Homeless
Service Providers
This Web page highlights DOL's efforts towards
achieving employment for America's homeless population.
Secretary Chao
Launches National Education Campaign to “Build Wealth at
Work”
Secretary Chao unveiled a series of print public service
announcements that encourage workers young and old to make a commitment to save
more by participating in retirement plans at work. As part of its Retirement
Savings Education Campaign, DOL partnered with the Consumer Federation of
America to develop the advertisements. |
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May 2004
Labor Department Achieves
Highest Rating for Strategic Management of Human Capital
DOL
recently achieved the highest rating for the Strategic Management of Human
Capital component of the President’s Management Agenda. The Office of
Management and Budget raised DOL’s status to the top rating of
“green” for DOL’s accomplishments in the strategic management of
human capital in its most recent quarterly scorecard.
Secretary Chao
Praises Children’s World Congress
Secretary Chao praised the
efforts of an international assembly of 500 children and world leaders who met
in Florence, Italy at the Children’s World Congress to find better ways to
combat the worst forms of child labor.
Labor
Department Announces Expansion of GovBenefits.gov
DOL celebrates the
second anniversary of its groundbreaking government-to-citizen e-Gov
initiative, GovBenefits.gov, at an event featuring Deputy Secretary of Labor
Steven J. Law and Congressman Adam Putnam, R-FL. The event demonstrated the
effectiveness of this award-winning Web site for the American public, including
the debut of GovBenefits.gov En Español and expanded state program
information. |
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March 2004
Office of Compliance Assistance Policy
Launches New Partnerships for Compliance Assistance Program (PCAP)
DOL partners can play a vital role in the federal government’s
compliance assistance efforts. They help DOL communicate important educational
messages to the public, while helping businesses and others comply with federal
employment laws. DOL partnerships help further the Department’s dedication
to protecting the wages, health benefits, retirement security, safety and
health of America’s workforce.
White
House Releases 2004 Progress Report for President's New Freedom Initiative for
People with Disabilities
Announced in February 2001, the New Freedom
Initiative is President George W. Bush’s plan to tear down the remaining
barriers to full integration into American life that many of America's 54
million citizens with disabilities still face. This progress report highlights
accomplishments under the New Freedom Initiative since the issuance of the May
2002 progress report.
Secretary
Chao Hosts White House Web Chat
Secretary Chao fields questions
from the American public.
Employers Encouraged to
Participate in National Alcohol Screening Day in April
National
Alcohol Screening Day (NASD) will be held April 8 as part of Alcohol Awareness
Month. The Department of Labor's Working
Partners program is cooperating with NASD coordinator, Screening for Mental
Health, Inc., to encourage employers across the country to participate. NASD
educates people about alcohol use and its health effects by making confidential
screening available so that individuals can assess their own drinking habits
and privately determine whether they need help to change those habits.
Learn more about how
employers can participate.
Register
Now for the March 10 Women's Entrepreneurship Summit in Cleveland,
Ohio
An action-packed event offering cutting-edge insights on the
most pressing concerns of women business owners today.
DOL Provides Safety,
Health and Return-to-Employment (SHARE) Initiative Data
On January
9, 2004, President Bush announced the Safety, Health and Return-to-Employment
(SHARE) Initiative directing federal agencies to establish goals and track
performance in 4 major areas. Federal agencies are charged with lowering
workplace injury and illness case rates, lowering lost-time injury and illness
case rates, timely reporting of injuries and illnesses and reducing lost days
resulting from work injuries and illnesses. |
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February 2004
elaws FirstStep Employment Law Advisor
Helps Businesses Determine Coverage and Responsibilities under DOL
Laws
The elaws FirstStep Employment
Law Advisor is an interactive, online tool that helps employers quickly
determine which of the major employment laws administered by the Department of
Labor apply to their business or organization by answering a series of simple
questions. It then provides easy-to-access information about how to comply with
the laws' requirements.
DOL Releases Fiscal Year 2005
Budget Information
The 21st century workplace demands a competitive
workforce. And in fiscal year 2005, DOL is poised to deliver. With enhanced
employment and training initiatives and strengthened worker protection efforts,
DOL will continue to play a lead role in accomplishing the President’s
domestic agenda. |
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January 2004
Webcast Features Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives Ready4Work Program
This 10-minute video highlights the
Exodus Transitional Community prisoner reentry program in East Harlem, NY.
Julio Medina, the Executive Director of Exodus, and his staff help ex-offenders
returning to neighborhoods in Harlem rebuild their lives, assimilate into
society, train for work, and find sustainable employment.
New "DOL Events Calendar" Will Serve
as Online Guide to Upcoming DOL Events
Provides a single location
on the DOL Web site for information about DOL public outreach activities,
including conferences, seminars, and workshops.
DOL Now Accepting
Applications for MBA Fellows
Secretary Chao today announced that the
Department of Labor is accepting applications for a third class of MBA Fellows
to begin work at the Cabinet agency in June 2004. MBA Fellows participate in an
intensive two-year training and development program that is designed to provide
them with competencies needed for future leadership positions within the
government. The third class of Fellows will serve from June 2004 through May
2006, at which point they will be eligible to join the Department as full-time
career employees.
DOL Releases Annual
Report on Performance and Accountability for Fiscal Year 2003
This
report, prepared in accordance with the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000,
presents the results of the Department’s program and financial performance
for FY 2003. The Annual Performance Report conveys, through data, analyses and
examples, progress in achieving the Department’s goals. The appendices
provide additional details and explanatory materials supporting the program
results. The Financial Performance Report demonstrates our commitment to
effective stewardship over the funds DOL receives to carry out the mission of
the Department, including compliance with relevant financial management
legislation. The Audit Report is an independent opinion on the Financial
Statements provided by the Department’s Office of Inspector General. The
Management and Performance Challenges section of this report summarizes the top
management issues identified by the Department’s Inspector General and the
Department’s progress and plans to meet these challenges.
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